radiant ceiling: how to remove?

We have radiant heat ceilings throughout the small 2 storey house, and we need to install an exhaust fan in the upstairs bathroom ceiling. Do we need to rip out the whole ceiling? Is the heater embedded in the ceiling? How do we disconnect the bathroom heater without disconnecting the rest of the ceiling heaters?

We are real newbies at this diy stuff! Any experinced advice would be appreciated.

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radiant ceiling: how to remove?

You don't really "remove" ceiling radiant heat. It is usually permanently embedded into the plaster.

Start with the thermostat. Switch off the power, and remove it. Cap off all the wires in the thermostat box, and install a blank plate. IF the circuit feeds thru to another room, they should already be connected together in the thermostat box. Leave them connected together if this is the case. If you have any doubts, take a nice high resolution picture of your thermostat hanging loose, but still connected to the wires and post it here.

Next, check to ensure that only the heating in the bathroom has ceased. Once you have determined that the other rooms' heating panels are still operational, then and only then can you begin your project by cutting your hole(s) in the bathroom ceiling.

Once you cut the embedded ceiling heating wires, you have destroyed it. You will have to find another method of heating the affected room(s).

radiant ceiling: how to remove?

you need to locate and mark the heating cables prior to cutting the drywall. Different panels used different ways for distributing the wiring. ThermaRay used fine fibers inside special drywall panels. If this is what you have (circa 1980) then you cannot cut into it. Most all others just ran cables between two layers of drywall. Here use a tick tracer or thermo-laser to locate the wires. Then cut around the wires. You will need to locate the wires even if you do cut them to find the broken ends and use a butt splice to reconnect them again. Best get an electrician that knows these products to do this work.